Darwin Deathbed myth/Ok to criticize the President?

I am not surprised at the supposed Darwin deathbed recantation story, within half of a year of his death. There probably isn't an evolutionist in America who hasn't heard that myth. It is a complete fabrication that even many creationists have admitted is untrue. Charles Darwin's daughter, Henrietta Litchfield, wrote in the Christian for Feb. 23, 1922, “I was present at his deathbed. Lady Hope was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her, but in any case she had no influence over him in any department of thought or belief. He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier. We think the story of his conversion was fabricated in the U.S.A. The whole story has no foundation whatsoever.”His son, Francis Darwin said in 1918, “Lady Hope's account of my father's views on religion is quite untrue. I have publicly accused her of falsehood, but have not seen any reply.”
Indeed Charles Darwin talked about the false deathbed conversion reported of his grandfather Erasmus before he died, “Such was the state of Christian feeling in this country at the beginning of the present century...(the early 1800s) we may at least hope that nothing of the kind now prevails.”Mr. Darwin was well aware, even more than 100 years ago, that those who are perceived to be a threat to certain religious beliefs will “magically” recant on their deathbed without an opportunity to defend themselves. Ironically, none of these individuals supposedly recant while still writing or speaking to the public. Nor are there any writings by Darwin and others to friends that talk about their supposed recantations. Erasmus Darwin by the way, among others in the late 1700s saw the forces of evolutionary change species but did not realize the process of natural selection as a mechanism of that change, as his more famous grandson later did. Mr. Darwin came up with the main mechanism of evolutionary change, not evolution itself. Finally, evolutionary biology doesn't rest on whatever Darwin believed when he died. The evidence for evolution has grown by numerous factors since Mr. Darwin died. It rests on fossils record, on fairly constant mutational change by species and between species that correlates to the dating of those fossils along with other evidence.


Ok to criticize the President:

Finally, to all those of you who take the liberty to say nasty, vulgar, abusive things about our leaders at all levels, be appreciative of your unlimited freedom; in scores of other countries across the globe, if you don't keep your mouth shut you will be decapitated overnight."OK, Mr. DiLillo was writing in response to various letters to the editor in newspapers he has read. The problem with his point is that criticism of the government and the leaders does not mean one is unappreciative of one's freedom.
The government cannot and should not be confused with our freedoms or our country. To criticize a leader or politican, be it Bush or Clinton or Pelosi or anyone, doesn't mean one is opposed to the ideals of America. One does not need to apologize for their criticism of a politican of any party no matter how strong the criticism.Now, I don't agree with vulgar statements against a politican, as has happened with both parties but no person who is opposing any governmental policy should feel any guilt for trying to change what they believe is an unjust policy be it domestic policy or a war. To not exercise our Constitutional rights isn't the height of patriotism, it is the height of apathy.